Escape
by Portugas D. Ace
Summary: Maxine Caulfield is living life as a freshman in college, one year having passed since the "incident" back at Arcadia Bay. Accompanied by her friend Warren, she lives her college days out by daydreaming, desiring solitude, and questioning her decisions made a year ago. But when she gets a mysterious text, her fears begin growing and her nightmares become reality as the week draws.
1. Monday

_Monday - 10/19/14_

* * *

"Warned that the place where she came from isn't there anymore, and where she had in mind to go is cancelled out, which you can read along on page 52, Connie comes to realization that her future has been _inexplicably_ shaped by her past." Sounds of scribbling and dotting on pages of recycled and eco-friendly paper followed the professor's words. As he continued on with the lecture, heads began to droop over or rest on sturdy hands, the lengthy discussion of their assignment drawing away any and all excitement from their would-be busy college lives.

The professor's monotonous tone and adenoidal voice sent no provoking thoughts or engaging vibes to his students, only instead bringing out the automated nodding of their heads and occasional reply from one of them to assure they were still in the room. When he wasn't reading verbatim from his notes that were aged as old as his career, he was instead jotting down phrases or words on the whiteboard behind him with a squeaky purple-colored dry erase marker. And if wasn't doing either two options, he was instead seated in his creaky blue stool, chips of it having abandoned long ago to reveal the original wooden color beneath.

"Connie, frightened and alone, finds herself drawn by the crazed Arnold Friend into the vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him, where, though it is not dramatized, she will _surely_ be raped, murdered, and buried."

Eyes wearily glanced over as one student set ahead and began questioning the professor, only to have dismissive remarks shut them up. Blinking several times, those weary eyes moved over to observe the red and green paper cup sitting inches away from a binder filled with nothing but doodles and drawings, steam still billowing out from the lip of the cup's top. A hand reached out and grabbed the red and green cup, bringing it closer to enjoy the warm aroma and flavor of the vanilla coffee beverage.

The sound of a bell began piercing into each student, and their dull minds instantly changed to excitement as their professor sent out a lengthy sigh between his breaths. As each seat became lifted from the weight of a body and footsteps began stomping towards the exit of the room, some of the students glanced over as they saw one of their peers hastily lifting a red and green cup off of its side, the surprise shock of the alarm causing that peer to spill the vanilla-flavored beverage all over those doodles and drawings.

"Please remain calm and exit the room on the appropriate end," the professor said aloud, yet again reading from a set of words on a clipboard instead of reciting from memory. "Leave your belongings here, we will return shortly after the drill has ended." His eyes wandered around the room as he sighed again, spotting a brown-haired girl still seated in her desk. He cleared his throat and continued to stare at the girl, who in return looked up at him with tired eyes, accepting defeat and following after the rest of the class.

"Yo, this is like the fifth time this week this shit's happened!"

"Is the school actually going to burn down this time?"

"Anything to get out of Mr. Monogahn's lecture..."

She listened to various voices as she dragged her feet along the tiled floor of the hallway, her eyes lazily watching the red-blinking exit sign come closer and closer. She wrapped her arms around her pine-green wool sweater as she exited into the cold chilling winds of the morning's breeze blow by her, her cheeks and nose reddening as the blood in her face worked to keep it warm. She stepped away from the rest of the class, her eyes moving up as she chose to instead watch the slow drifting of the clouds in the blue sky, her breath sending smaller white clouds into the air.

Her mind was far from being occupied on her studies or discussion about Mr. Monogahn's discussion on a short story, but instead on day dreams of a time long ago, the clouds reminding her of exciting adventures far from here, back in a small town she had once called home. While she didn't admit it, she day dreamed more often now than ever before, her life coming to a cycle of repeating actions, following the same steps day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, and day dreaming was the only way to keep her sanity in check from the dull lifestyle.

 _College was suppose to be different from high school,_ she thought to herself, her head still titled up towards the sky. I _guess, to be fair, it is less bullshit to deal with than high school. But it's still as boring and... lonely._ She blinked, adjusting her eyes to wander over another set of clouds floating by, unknowingly ignoring a pestering call for her name, eventually turning her head quickly as she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

"Maxine, stop ignoring me and return to the classroom _now_ ," the professor said, his voice nearly booming as Max came back to reality. Her eyes looked around as she saw several faces staring at her, her cheeks now reddening from not only the cold but also from embarrassment. She nodded her head and shuffled her feet quickly back into the building, her head lowered to avoid eye contact with anyone else, purposely ignoring the snide remarks and comments as she passed by her peers.

 _Okay, maybe there is as much bullshit to deal with._

* * *

Max sat alone in her dorm room, plucking out coffee-soaked pages from her binder. She tossed them away into the trash bin next to her desk, unaffected by the loss of her obviously _astounding_ artwork. _It's fine, I'll be writing on you guys again soon, after you've been recycled and re-factory'd into more paper... that's a word, right?_ She bounced her foot along in beat with the song playing on her hi-fi, adding to her enjoyment of the solace of solitude in her room locked away from the rest of society. The only noise she wanted to hear was that of her music, not of unwelcome voices or company.

Unlike her dorm back at Blackwell Academy, Max chose not to line her walls with her works in photography, instead most of her side remaining blank, bar from pictures of her family and faces of celebrities she had grown to adore, including Pierce Brosnan and Joaquin Phoenix. She had a standard furniture set consisting of a bed, short-end dresser, the desk she sat at, and a small fridge compartment that sat tucked between her desk and bed. Max closed her eyes briefly as she inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of the outside air as it breezed into her room through her window, replacing the vacancy of her confiscated scented candles.

Her hands moved up to her face and rubbed her eyes, her mind drifting as the clouds she watched earlier. She tossed away the remaining stained pages and closed her binder, her fingers wrapping around the top edge of it. _I need to ask Warren for help later on Mr. Monogahn's lecture today... all the 'notes' I took are ruined. And I don't think I'm going to keep getting away with not having the short story anthology for much longer._ She slid her phone from out of her pocket and pressed it to life, watching the glowing screen for any updates or messages. As much as she had expected, it remained blank. She glanced over at the time on her desk clock, noting that it was already half past noon.

 _Warren is usually blowing my phone up around now to go get lunch. Maybe he's staying after in some lab, totally getting his 'science on'... groovy._ Max unlocked her phone and began pressing away at the buttons, sending an inquiring message to said person.

 _-_  
 _12:32 PM_

 _Max: Lunch?  
Max: ...  
Max: Or r u busy with class still?  
Max: We can grab something from that granola place. Or not. Just lemme kno when ur out. Ive got class in an hour  
_ _-_ _  
_

Max turned her hi-fi off and packed her belongings back into her charcoal-grey satchel, wrapping it back around her shoulder as she prepared to leave. Her eyes shot up towards her door handle as she heard it rustle, and she averted her gaze slightly as a short, blonde-haired girl walked in now, her face grinning wide and her blue eyes staring towards Max, the sound of the door shutting behind her as she stepped into the room.

"Oh, Max, you're back early from your _scheduled_ lunch date," the girl teased, giggling slightly after her words.

"Yeah, Warren's still in class I guess. I was gonna go and grab a muffin from the cafe." Max rubbed her neck awkwardly, still averting her gaze from the other girl as she now began unpacking her belonging. She began by removing the large bubbled jacket from her body, exposing a light snow-colored tee, matching along with a pair of yoga pants and those.. _Fur boots.. I can't even remember what she calls them..._ She brushed back her long blonde hair and shook her head, dropping down onto her bed and sighing.

"Neat. Well, I'm going to have some friends over for a bit, so don't be too surprised if there's a couple of strangers in here later," the girl replied, sounds of clicking and buzzing coming from her own device between her hands. "Actually, one of them is a _really_ cute guy, so if you do come back, don't be stupid-shy around him. I can talk you up to him if you want."

"Uhh, nah, don't worry," Max replied, now headed towards the door, her hand on the handle. "I'll probably just hang at Warren's."

"Suit yourself-" Max left the room and shut the door quickly, her feet brushing along the carpet as she headed towards the stairwell now. As her feet descended the steps, she pulled her phone back out and her earbuds, swiping through her playlists of songs and choosing one that suited her mood at the moment. _Majical Cloudz.. hopefully it'll be awhile before you guys turn mainstream too._

* * *

Max sat on top of a high stool, the ones with the plastic seats and metal ring to rest people's feet on near the bottom, so they didn't have to just hang their feet off the edge. She sat next to a window and watched the busy life of people walking by, faces of hundreds of people she would never know, probably. She continued to munch away on the chocolate muffin, warmth still emitting from the pastry, having endured a session in the microwave just minutes ago. While she did feel tired, and it would still be hours until she could actually rest on her bed, she didn't want to buy another coffee and end up spilling it again embarrassingly.

She didn't pay much attention to the music playing on the cafe shop's speakers, even rolling her eyes at some of the songs that had come up. _Another Coldplay song, yikes.._ Her eyes lit up as she felt a buzzing come from her phone, her hands brushing crumbs and chocolate stains off on the side of her jeans, reaching for her pocket afterwards. She plucked it out and her eyes scanned across the screen, acknowledging the reply from her geek counterpart.

 _-_  
 _1:09 PM_

 _Warren: My bad Mad Max, was busting some moves and showing kids how to properly play scientist.  
_

 _Max: No biggie. I went ahead and grabbed some food  
Max: Ive got trig soon tho_

 _Warren: Well what are you doing afterwards? We can probably hang out in the library, I've got a report to write up._

 _Max: I was contemplating the thought of hanging with my roomie and her 'attractive' guy friend... as she put it  
Max: But a party in the library sounds equally bomb_

 _Warren: You choose wisely once again, wizard-queen. Let's meet up after your class then, I'll wait outside._

 _Max: Sounds good  
-_

* * *

"There she is," a familiar voice called out, Max looking over and replying with a shy smile. She cut away from the crowd of students leaving the building all at once, moving towards the shaggy brown-hair headed science-geek friend of hers since high school. "You didn't sneak out afterwards, huh?"

"Now why would I do something dumb like that?" Max replied, her right hand clutched to the strap of her satchel.

"You did say your roommate had some beefcake right?" Warren said, smirking all the while. "I was thinking you might have planned to ditch your class to go engage some one-on-one time with him."

"Stop it, jeez." Max smacked her hand against Warren's arm, her face slightly annoyed and red. "I've had to deal with enough teasing today already."

"What're you talking about? Who would even dare tease the Mighty Max?"

"In my literature class earlier, I ended up spilling my coffee all over my notes like an idiot." Max started rubbing her own arm now, frowning slightly, to Warren's dismay. "And then we had another fire alarm in the building again. We all left and I was too busy daydreaming to notice Mr. Monogahn calling out for me, so he approached me like some disappointed dad. So uncool."

"That's a bummer. On the flipside, did I mention yet about how I was schooling those kids?" Warren grinned playfully. The two of them began heading away from the building, following the stone paved pathway towards the alleyways between the various campus buildings. Warren continued to chirp and chat away as Max simply nodded her head and listened, albeit not fully attentive, much like the rest of the day has gone for her.

 _Still think it's weird Warren decided to follow after me to this school when he could have easily gone to any big-name university he wanted.._ Max thought to herself, still vacantly listening to her friend. _I know he's been crushing on me for the longest time, but-_

"Yo Max, you still there?" Warren poked Max's arm, to which the latter finally broke her trance-like state and looked over to him, her face a bit jumbled. "I was asking how did things with Kelsey go? You know, after that awkward sitch we got into this weekend.."

 _Right, Kelsey, my roommate... and his girlfriend._ Max shook her head, turning back to look ahead of her. "I haven't mentioned it to her yet. I dunno how to even bring it up... it was kinda embarrassing. Did you smooth things out between you two at least?"

"Not hard at all with a master wordsmith like your's truly," Warren replied cheerfully. "So she should be ready for your apology whenever you're-"

"My apology? Warren, I didn't do anything wrong," Max cut in, her voice slightly agitated now. She stopped in place and turned to face him once more, her arms crossed. "What happened last weekend was a stupid mistake, but it wasn't my fault. I don't need to apologize for anything. I'll confront her about it, but I'm **not** going to apologize for-"

"Whoa whoa Max, sorry, sorry." Warren said, brushing the back of his head slowly. "I didn't mean to flair you up like that, sorry. You're right, you don't need to apologize to her." Max sighed and looked away for a moment, with Warren speaking up once more. "But I mean you can always like, I dunno, fake-apologize like most girls do. It'd be super cool if you did, for me anyways."

Max shook her head and started to walk away from him, her eyes once again averting him. She ignored him as he called out after her, leaving him back at the small intersection as he stood there, kicking his foot across the ground.

* * *

 _So much for that..._ Max said to herself, seated in now a mostly abandoned room, save for except a few other bodies seated far from her corner she claimed. She pressed her back against the red cushion of the seat, seeping deeper into the chair as she tilted her head up, her eyes staring at the solid white ceiling above her, a large shadow coated over as the dim lights gave way to a small illumination. Her ears did enjoy the smooth jazzy tunes that came from the intercoms of the room, and the heated interior made her feel cozier than at her own room.

 _Is he for real about asking me to apologize to Kelsey? I totally did nothing wrong there..._ Max thought to herself, her eyes still set on the ceiling, but slowly succumbing to a feeling of relaxation. _Of all the people I met at Blackwell, Warren was the only friend that came with me to this school, but now it's almost feeling like we're getting further apart from one another. And Kelsey is definitely not helping at all with that..._ Her pocket buzzed every so often, but she chose to ignore it, knowing who it was that was buzzing her.

 _Today's just been shit, ever since that dream from last night. I was hoping to get to talk to Warren about it, but he's got his mind on other things..._ The warmth of the room began to add weight to the green sweater Max wore, almost tempting her to remove it on the spot. But she quickly dismissed the idea, refusing to keep embarrassing herself as she had been. _That dream made me think back to... back to last year. I mean, everything makes me think back to last year... that week._

 _Was.. was letting her go the right choice?_ This question she asked herself had bothered her nearly every day of her life, for the entire year since the incident at Blackwell. After that week of getting to reconcile with her best friend, of getting to become popular and adored by everybody on campus, of becoming a real everyday hero... After taking it all back, just to save her hometown. Max was filled with memories of that week, of becoming closer to everybody around her, but in reality, to each of them, none of it happened, and they all parted ways after graduating, all except for Warren.

Her heart heaved and felt heavy from her mind exploring these thoughts again, and Max brushed them away in response, her eyes feeling the desire to rest more and more. With the smooth melody still playing above her, she eventually curled up on the chair and gave way to her exhaustion, the worries of the world escaping from her mind once again, drifting... drifting just like the clouds from earlier.

* * *

 _"I can't believe you just let me die, Max. After everything we've been through, you went and abandoned me for this shit-hole! Everything you told me was a lie!"_

 _No.. not again!_ Max said, her eyes wandering around in the darkness, nothing but black showing to her. She swatted her hands in the air to try and find anything to reach to, even squinting her eyes to pierce through the darkness, but nothing came to her. _Stop... it isn't my fault..._ She turned around instantly as she heard the voice again, her face now filled with despair.

 _"I bet life is pretty kick-ass right now, with college and boys and everything revolving around you. Guess what though? I don't get to experience any of it because you let that punk-ass shoot me in the freaking bathroom! You let my body bleed out and you just sat there and did nothing!"_

 _I promise, I wanted to do something-_

 _"But you didn't! You let my dad die, and then you let me die. When was the last time you talked to my mother? Are you going to never speak to her again and let her die as well? I'm sure that's the Caulfield way."_

 _"Don't worry, Price. I know Max is a problem child, but I'll take care of her."_

Max froze as she heard the second voice, the haunting chill of the words sending her fleeing immediately. Her feet slowly dragged across the darkness and felt as if bags of sand held her down as she started screaming for help. Her mind shouted words but none of them escaped her lips, her head turning back only to see a face approaching closer and closer. She tried harder to run but her legs eventually stopped moving altogether, and she only stared in horror as the body was now inches away from her.

 _"Just as I had framed my other subjects... no, Max, you won't just be another subject. You'll be my masterpiece..."_

* * *

"Please, NO!" Max shouted, panting, looking around as she realized she had only been dreaming. Sweat beaded off her forehead, and she immediately grabbed her satchel and headed outside, ignoring the stares she was being given as she ran past them. She stepped outside into the cold night sky, her chest still rising up and down. She rubbed her hand against her forehead and began walking away from the lobby, back towards the direction of her dorm. She pulled her phone out and checked the screen, surprised at how long she had been sleeping for.

Her fingers swiped her phone open and she began scanning over her messages, noticing several from Warren, a few from Kelsey, and two from an unknown number. Ignoring the unknown contact, she opened up Warren's messages and began reading them, her mind still in a blur from the nightmare.

 _-  
_ _2:46 PM_

 _Warren: Max I'm sorry.  
Warren: Look I know it wasn't cool to bring up that issue anyways, and it was even lamer on my part to harass you about it.  
Warren: I just want things to stay like how they've been going between us and Kelsey. She's as important to me now as you are.  
Warren: I mean, you're my best friend, and you probably always will be.  
Warren: But I've got to side with her and back her up now that we're dating.  
Warren: Just reply back please and let me know where you are._

 _3:20 PM_

 _Warren: I wasn't kidding when I said I was sorry! I know I screwed up.  
Warren: Just answer back, please._

 _4:17 PM_

 _Warren: I told Kelsey to not bug you about what happened, so don't worry about having to talk to her about it.  
Warren: Is that okay? I was hoping it'd cool things between us.  
Warren: Where are you anyways? Answer please?_

 _6:32 PM_

 _Warren: Max?_

 _7:01 PM  
_

 _Warren: Max, come on, stop ignoring me!  
Warren: I'm sorry.  
-_

Max pulled out from Warren's conversations and pulled up Kelsey's now, reading over the few lines sent from her roommate.

 _-  
4:38 PM_

 _Kelsey: Why did Warren tell me to "leave you alone?" Is everything cool between us?  
Kelsey: Let's talk when you get back, we can bust out that new caramel blend I bought. I know you love your coffee, Maxine!  
Kelsey: Plus, I kicked everybody out so it can just be us. Reply soon!  
Kelsey: xoxo  
-_

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. _Great... now I can't even go back to my room._ As she pulled out of Kelsey's messages, she glanced at the unknown number, noticing two messages from them. Curious, she pulled them up. As she read through them, she immediately regretted doing so, her eyes widening and her face growing pale, the same feeling of terror from her nightmare once again overcoming her body as it began trembling as imagines of those dead eyes behind thick-framed glasses pierced into her head.

-  
 _7:43 PM_

 _1(541)7328551: I'm coming for you, Max.  
_ _1(541)7328551: I'm coming.  
_ _-_


	2. Tuesday

_Tuesday - 10/20/14_

* * *

 _"I'm coming for you, Max."_

 _It's just a dream.. it's just a dream... there's no way he's been released already!_ Max remained curled in the corner of the library, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, her eyes watching the echoing walkways between the shelves of books and novels and anthologies. Purple bags lined underneath her hazy-blue eyes, red veins surrounding the pupil from the stress of keeping awake over the entirety of the night. Her lower face remained buried in the pine-green sweater wrapped around her arms, her hair wild and tangled behind her. In her one hand she held her phone, checking it constantly, expecting another text to appear at any moment from the mysterious number.

 _"I'm coming."_

 _They incarcerated the bastard! I watched the trial... he was put away for years for the.. This isn't real._ Her eyes glanced back down at her phone as she swiped it open, ignoring the red-blinking 2% sign on the top right corner of the screen. She pulled the messages back up, reading over them once more, before shutting her phone off again, moving her eyes back to watch the walkways once again. _It's just a dream, Max. Just like the ones you have of Chloe. You're just going insane._ Footsteps were heard, and she shot her eyes towards the direction they came from, watching vigilantly for the person who's footsteps they belonged to.

 _"I'm coming for you, Max."_

 _How would he even know to come for me? Come on Max, think about it..._ Her eyes kept scanning around the bookshelves, her mind now questioning whether the sounds were real or a part of her imagination. _He kidnapped me in the alternate timeline... In this timeline, David stopped him before he could hurt me again... so how could he know to come for me? How would he know I was responsible for informing David about the dark room!_ The footsteps returned once more, and Max became sure now she was hearing them, pulling her exhausted body up, ready to flee at the first sign of 'him'.

 _"Max, I'm coming."_

 _What if he doesn't know about that, but... he still wants to frame me. Like he did to Rachel and Kate. Oh no..._

 _"Max..."_

The voice sounded so close to her now along with the footsteps. Her legs began moving on their own now, her body in full panic as she started sprinting away from her corner, her eyes still darting across each hallway of the labyrinth of books. She didn't bother trying to figure out what section or where she was currently situated; she just wanted to run, run as fast as her legs could move. Hopelessness clouded her mind as she fought to keep running, red eyes peering all around her. The books around her faded into darkness as she kept running further and further into the empty void, her eyes shut tight.

 _"Max...?"_

She wished to be back in Arcadia Bay, one year ago, during that week when everything had went down.

* * *

"Max?"

"Chloe?"

 _Seeing her for the first time in five years was such a shock to me I was almost paralyzed. Especially after realizing that Nathan almost killed her in front of me.. I didn't know what to tell her at that time. What do you say to your best friend after five years of silence? I felt so lame for not keeping in touch, or even texting her. But being back with her felt like it was.. well, cliche as it sounds, felt like destiny. I had a reason to be back with her._

 _As the week went on, we had so many crazy adventures like we were kids again. We hung out at her secret lair, gossiped about so many people, had 'several' near death experiences... We broke into the school, played detective, and just busted out our feelings. She dared me to kiss her too, and being the dope I was, I didn't take the chance. Do I wish I did? I mean... kinda. But that doesn't matter now._

 _After all our adventures that week, it had to come to an end. Something was screwed up with mother nature and a massive tornado was ripping towards Arcadia Bay.. it was coming straight for Chloe. She cheated death too many times and now everybody was going to suffer for it. We tried anything we could to maybe stir it away but at that last moment, we both knew it was hopeless. I let her go, my poor Chloe... I wish I could take it all back to that day._

 _The past has a way with keeping up with you, and it's been haunting me since then. Chloe... I want you to be here with me, right now, but I'm such an idiot! Chloe.._

" _Max!"_

* * *

"Hey, earth to Gibson, you there?"

Her eyes opened to see Warren and Kelsey both standing in front of her as she remained seated in the same corner of the library. Max blinked her eyes several times over, stretching her arms and popping her neck as she pulled herself off the ground. She glanced briefly at her phone, an empty battery blinking back at her as she pressed on the home button.

"You had us so worried, you feeling okay?" Kelsey asked, a sound of actual concern covering her words. "Warren figured out you crashed here last night."

"I mean, I didn't do much 'figuring out' as it was actually just looking-" Warren tried to act cool and brush away the obvious awkward feeling that was moving between the three of them, but Kelsey shot him a strict glare, which ceased his actions immediately. "Um, so what's bugging you? You don't normally, well ever, run off like this."

Max picked her bag off the ground and pulled it over her head, resting the strap on her shoulder as she looked away from the both of them, her fingers nervously moving among each other. She sighed deeply before brushing her hair out from her eyes. "I-It's nothing. I lost track of time a-and I dozed off here. That's it."

"You didn't respond to any of our messages though," Warren replied, his eyes now looking away from Max. "If nothing was wrong, you should've at least said something to us."

"What Warren means is that he's glad you're okay and not, like, dead in some ditch," Kelsey interjected with, bumping her arm against Warren's. "I totally get it, the stress of being in college and all, right? But if you aren't up for talking right now, that's fine! We'll go to our classes and when we're done, let's bust out this caramel roast blend I just picked up and hit a doobie."

"That's cool," Max replied, her arm wrapped across her chest, grabbing hold of her other arm. "I'm probably just gonna go crash at the dorm. Lemme know what I missed from class?"

"Of course," Kelsey replied, smiling brightly.

* * *

As the AC vent came to life, the green paper tails Kelsey had attached to it fluttered around, a cold breeze drifting throughout the room. Max wrapped herself in a red and blue quilt, one of the last gifts her mother gave her before she left for here. The wool quilt would have roasted Max had she not opted to remove her green sweater, now wearing only a light tee and her undergarments. She knew the AC was still on, and despite it being chillier than she preferred, she chose not to leave the comfort of her bed in order to shut it off.

 _I'm exhausted, but I can't even close my eyes long enough before my chest starts beating..._ Max stared at the clock on her nightstand, watching the red numbers tick away as if she was trying to count them like sheep. Whenever her eyes did shut, indeed her heart began to beat faster and faster, and she felt as if eyes were watching her, no matter how deeply she buried herself into her bed. Her mind kept swirling faster and faster, and before long...

Another breeze came out from the vent, the noise of the paper tails alarming Max almost of it's coming. She ducked her head underneath the quilt now, her body balled up, her eyes watching the shadows and silhouettes from the other side of her cover. The air felt almost piercingly cold as she clenched tighter on the quilt, her eyes once again trying to remain shut.

 _I just need to chill out, I'm overreacting. Kelsey doesn't even seem to care one bit about any of it, so I don't have to keep freaking about that. And about him..._ Max realized she has yet to plug her phone back into her charger, but almost as soon as she realized this, a wave of fear hit her: did she really forget to charge it, or is she choosing not to? The thought of it raced her mind as her chest once again began pounding now, and the AC once more turning on, the sound of fluttering breaking the silence of the room.

 _It probably was a dream. He never sent those messages. It's all in your head, Max, just like Chloe. You need to chill out before you completely lose your shit!_ Her eyes opened once again, this time her face scowling as she heard the AC vent turning on again. "Are you serious right now?!" Max shouted, flipping off the quilt and springing off her bed, only instead her face changing expressions instantly as she was no longer in her room.

A long hallway appeared before her, with her bed positioned against one of the ends of it. Her arms reached around and clutched one another as she shivered, the entire place freezing as the sound of the vent going off over and over filled the long darkness. Red numbers ticked away ahead of her, and she watched them, realized it was some sort of timer. Her bare feet pip-pattered on the icy floor, mist puffing out of her lips as her breathing hastened. Her head worriedly glanced around the dark corners of the walls as she heard noises come out from underneath the sounds of wind blowing.

 _10:02  
10:01  
10:00  
09:59_

The cold began to slow her down, inviting her mind to rest as she continued to trek onward through the long, long hallway. _This is just a dream, it's just one fucked up dream,_ Max told herself, her movement now appearing as if she were limping. _You could probably just lay down and close your eyes, wake up back in your room._ As her eyes did draw lower and lower, she just as quickly opened them back up as the noises turned into unintelligible growling. She turned around briefly, looking back at where she had come from, her bed no longer in sight, but instead, a figure, one crawling towards her.

 _06:12  
06:04  
05:45  
_

Max no longer paid much attention to the time as she did the figure. _MOVE, MAX!_ Her mind shouted at her, but between the frigid temperature of the room and the fear griping her body, her body was frozen in place.

 _03:26  
03:12_

"Max, run!" A voice shouted at her, this time not her own. Sure enough, she tore her gaze from the moaning figure, instead peeking at the timer above her, now dipping dangerously low. She looked ahead and saw a faint glow, her body unlocking itself and dashing towards it. The dark began to fade around her as she came closer towards the glowing light.

 _00:23_

Behind her the noises began to cease, and as she reached the end of the hallway, another figure awaited, this time bathed in light.

* * *

Max flung herself upwards, gasping almost, her body covered in sweat. Her head glanced around, realizing she was back in her room. She wiped her forehead with her hand, her chest rising again and again. _See.. just another bad dream..._ she told herself worriedly. Her body flinched and her head spun around as she heard a loud beeping, looking now at her clock as the alarm went off. _I never set the alarm though, what the hell..._ She flicked the alarm switch off and the beeping ceased, now planting her feet on the carpeted floor.

 _Man, what was that all about?_ Her feet moved her towards the bathroom, stopping as she reached the sink. Water ran between her fingers, eventually clasping them together in order to splash it onto her face. Water dripped from her nose and bangs, her eyes staring back at herself in the mirror. Bags still ran underneath them, and she splashed her face one more. _I look like shit, Jesus. I should probably clean up a bit before Kelsey gets back. I really don't want her to freak over me._

* * *

 _06:23_

Max glanced over at the clock, noting the time. Despite all the weirdness that had been going on, she still had her homework she had yet to start on. Papers surrounded her as she sat on her bed, her legs crossed, now donning black shorts and a large blue t-shirt with her school's logo printed on it. _School work should get my head back on straight,_ she thought to herself. She was nearly feigning interest in the various notes about historical events and years, just anything to keep her mind occupied. Her attention quickly turned towards her door as it jiggled open, a familiar face entering into the room.

"Hey," Max said, forcing a smile out from her face as Kelsey came in. Kelsey turned to look at her and too smiled back, but only briefly before she started tossing her belongings down, albeit somewhat harshly. _Something's definitely off with her, she's never in this sort of mood.._ Kelsey plopped down onto her desk chair, resting her elbow on the face of the desk as she too rested her chin on her hand. Max tried to not pry too much into her actions, but her eyes kept peeking back up. She listened as Kelsey tapped her fingers restlessly on her desk, eventually Max clearing her throat.

"I-" Before she could actually say anything, Kelsey cut in, turning around to face her now.

"Say, you're hungry, aren't you?" She piped in, resting her arm over the back of the chair. "I was trying to see if you wanted me to grab you anything to eat, but you never replied to me."

"Oh, um," Max strummed out, her hand pushing back her bangs. "Sorry. My phone's still dead, I haven't actually got around to refueling it."

Kelsey laughed a little, weakly, and blinked a few times before replying. "It's okay. So? How about it? We can go hit up the new diner on campus, my treat. Unless of course, you'd rather sit here and bury your nose in boring notes- which reminds me, I have all the lessons.."

Her words began to flutter off as Max blankly stared at her, her mind thinking back to her phone, to that message from the previous night. Before much more thought could go into it, her dozing was broken as Kelsey called for her name, with Max quickly replying back. "That's fine, we can go." The two of them got up, and as Kelsey left the room, Max followed after, stopping before she actually left the door. She turned back around and glanced at her phone, which sat next on her desk. Shaking her head, she moved back towards it, plugging it into the charger, afterwards, leaving the room

* * *

"It's more like a bar than a diner," Max said, her eyes wandering the room, following after Kelsey as the two of them seated themselves at a booth. Noises flooded the room, varying between the many TV stations that were on, the chattering of several voices, some louder than others, and the clattering of pool balls smacking against one another. Max sighed, but kept to herself as she noticed Kelsey seemingly enjoying the establishment so far.

A server approached them, his face covered with sweat as strands of hair fell over on his face, a notepad and pen in his hands, a cigarette in his mouth. He appeared no older than them, and as he greeted them, Kelsey replied, the two of them exchanging words. The music from the stereos situated at each end of the room flooded into Max's ears, her own enjoyment now coming from them. _Maybe she won't bring up what happened the other day... who are you kidding Max, that'd be a best scenario situation. She's totally going to bombard you with questions.. and you still need to get back to Warren and let him know you're sorry!_

Kelsey reached her hand out and grabbed Max's, grinning while doing so. "Quit dozing off, you daydreamer," she said, smiling. Max blushed and shook her head, pulling her hand away from Kelsey, who turned back to the waiter. "She'll have the same as me, sound good?"

He nodded and scribbled away, walking from their booth and back into the kitchen. Kelsey turned back to face Max, her smile still planted on her face, her hands again trying to reach for Max's.

"So? Are we going to keep beating around and ignoring what's bothering you?" She asked. "And you can't run off like you did at the library! I'm paying for your food, remember?"

Max bit softly on her lower lip, her gaze turning towards Kelsey now. "Did you ever hear about the story in Arcadia Bay, about the teacher who was kidnapping girls in his class?" Kelsey shook her head, her smile now fading as Max continued on. "This is going to sound crazy to you, but just to keep things brief, I think he's coming after me." Max waited for a response from Kelsey, who only looked away now. _I told her what's going on and she doesn't say anything? See, you should have just shut up Max..._

"Look, I know things are probably getting a bit stressful, and I want you to know you can be honest with me, really," Kelsey replied, moving her hand over her chest. "If it's about Warren, you can tell me-"

"No, it isn't about him and I did tell you just now!" Max shouted, her eyes instantly wandering around the room as other eyes met her own. She shook her head, gulping. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. But yeah, you're right. The stress is getting to me. It isn't just school though..." Max paused, and despite her outburst, Kelsey still looked towards her with concern, waiting for Max's response. "A year ago around this time, my best friend was shot in front of me, and I couldn't do anything about it. This past week, I've been having nightmares over it, again and again. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

 _You could have done something though..._

"Jesus Max, I didn't know about that. Warren never told me," Kelsey replied. "Go on?"

"There is more, but I.. I just can't," Max stammered out, now trying to stand up and out from the booth, Kelsey grabbing her hand.

"Hold on, sit back down," she said, Max turning her gaze back to her, her eyes drawn out and longing, a sadness resting in them. "I already told you that you can't leave until we finished eating. Besides, I don't want you going out alone again, you worried me to death the last time you did it."

The music and television screens flickered briefly, the patrons' faces turning towards them. A rumbling sounded from outside, and Kelsey let go of Max, her face looking outside the window, listening as rain now came bashing against it. "A storm? There wasn't any mention of a storm today," she said. She turned and looked at Max, who now fell back into her chair, her eyes shut as she fainted.

* * *

When Max awoke, she was no longer at the bar, but instead, back at a familiar location, one from her past. She knew exactly the name of the building as well as the room she was seated in. _It's Blackwell Academy, and this..._

"Now, can you give me an example of a photographer who perfectly captured the human condition in black and white?" Mr. Jefferson asked aloud. Max glanced around the room, and while she knew the answer, she refused to say anything, her chest once again pounding away. _Why am I back here again? I was just at the diner with Kelsey... what the hell is going on?!_

"Anybody? Bueller?"

Max tried to pull herself out from her seat, her eyes fixated on the exit past the room, but she paused as the girl beside her answered, her response captivating Max's attention.

"Mark Jefferson," the girl said, with Jefferson smiling at her response.

"There you go! Why Jefferson?" His voice now began to sound distorted almost, with a hungering-like grow behind it. Max listened as if it was some sort of horrid replay of her memories, the room growing darker and darker as time passed on. All the other students within the room now were gone, all besides the girl, herself, and Jefferson.

"Because of the way he displayed the loss of innocence and youth in their faces," the girl replied, her voice too now distorted heavily as if it were behind a synthesizer. "You get a, totally haunted feeling by their helpless eyes as they lie there motionless, afraid and unsure of what's happening around them."

Max covered her ears instantly as a loud, piercing ringing sounded throughout the room, her eyes shut closed. They only remained shut briefly, as she felt a strong presence overcome her, her body jumping out from her seat now as she looked around the vacant room. The walls were coated in darkness, and the room seemed double the length from before. All the seats and chairs and everything else inside the room had a rusted and dirty appearance now, but those were of Max's least concerns as she turned her attention to the furthest wall from her, in the back of the room.

The growls from earlier had returned, but this time, figures accompanied them. Their bodies were heavily distorted, their appearance that of.. monsters. They moaned out loud with high pitched ringings and they crawled on all four, some of their appendages almost dragging behind them. Max panted in short bursts, blinking her eyes several times as well as shaking her head before realizing she wasn't waking up anytime soon.

Max dashed for the exit of the room and flung the door open, escaping into Blackwell's hallways. Again, just like Jefferson's room, the hallways all seemed changed and altered, twisting and turning in various directions. Max turned her head back to the room as the growls came closer and closer, her hand clenching around her chest as she as fast as her legs would carry her down the halls.

 _Is this my punishment?!_ Max shouted at herself, her head pounding in rhythm with her chest as the ringings from the creatures' howls grew louder. _Why now, of all times, why choose now to punish me! And for what?! Misuse of my 'powers'?! Choosing all those other lives over Chloe... Chloe..._ Max continued to run, sharply turning at each corner she reached. _Are you doing this to me Chloe!_

Almost instantly, Max's next step took her outside of Blackwell, and she now stood in the main school grounds, rain pouring around her. Her eyes wandered around, darkness shrouding everything, all but for one light that rested ahead of her on the street. _Just like before._ Instead of running, Max walked slowly towards the glowing figure, descending down the steps, down the pavement. _What are you trying to show me?_

Before Max could reach the figure, she turned her head sideways and darted back quickly as a massive truck came flying past her, the horn blasting loudly, loud enough to awake her back to the diner.

* * *

As Max awoke, she flung herself up, glancing around, her vision blurry. Several people surrounded her and Kelsey's booth as Kelsey moved over towards her, holding her. "Max, oh god you're awake!" Kelsey said, an uneasiness in her words. "I was so worried, you just suddenly passed out and, and, I called for help, I called Warren, but thank god you're awake."

Max rubbed her head, still feeling dazed from that dream she just had. The walls continued to rattle as the storm beat against the diner, thunder booming off in the distance. She turned her head towards Kelsey, ignoring all the other faces around them. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Between all the stress and, and, and you not eating anything in who knows how long, I think all of it caused you to pass out," Kelsey replied. "Here, we got you some food and water. Eat something before you pass out again, won't you?"

Max reached for the water and gulped away at it, her eyes opening wide and her hand slamming the glass down as she turned to face Kelsey, a realization hitting her. "You said you called Warren?"

"Yes, I mean, I was just worried and he was one of-"

Before Kelsey could finish, Max jumped out from the booth and pushed past all the others, rushing outside. Her chest was once again pounding, but this time for a different reason. _Oh god no! Is it already too late?!_ She flung both doors to the diner wide open, lightening illuminating the sky as she saw a figure running towards her, shouting. _No, please! Stop!_ Max tried to shout back but her voice was drowned beneath the thunder and pouring rain.

"Max, is that-" Warren tried to call out, before a loud horn sounded, a truck crashing into him. Max cried out, running towards his body as the truck came to a halt, the driver quickly running out. Blood seeped alongside the rain, and Max immediately stepped backwards slightly, closing her eyes. _I have to, I can't let this happen._ She slowly lifted her left hand, tears flooding down her eyes. _I told myself I'd never do this again, but fuck it! I can't let him die like this!_

Time came halting to a crawl, and soon after began flying backwards, Max once again rewinding time as she had done so in the past. The truck went backwards, the sound of the horn replaying almost the same as it did in the present. Warren's body floated up off the ground, planting him on his feet. _He won't be able to hear you.. You've gotta push him out the way!_

Max felt a strain come over her as she knew she came to the end of this rewind, with the truck only a few meters away from both of them. She looked up, her eyes once again full of sadness, and as time began to flow back into the present, she dashed forward, her arms locked forward as she shoved Warren back. In an instant, the truck came once again, this time slamming into her instead of Warren.


End file.
